The Excalibur. Jamaica Service Trip. T h e O n l i n e N a z a r e t h R H S S t u d e n t N e w s p a p e r. April 2018, Issue 2

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1 The Excalibur T h e O n l i n e N a z a r e t h R H S S t u d e n t N e w s p a p e r April 2018, Have a happy Easter from the Excalibur staff! By: Jean Lefleur Jamaica Service Trip What are some things that come to mind when you hear or think of the country Jamaica? Right away, people tend to think about the fastest man alive, Usain Bolt, a retired Jamaican sprinter and an Olympic legend who is known for winning 8 gold medals. Another thing people tend to think of right away is a country with a nice and warm climate and with agriculture almost everywhere you look. Many people also think of Jamaica as a place of paradise, with bright blue seas, and brighter skies. Everything I have listed thus far is definitely accurate, however, there s still more to Jamaica than meets the eye. On January 24, 2018, 10 Nazareth Regional High School students, along with two teacher chaperones, embarked on a service trip to Jamaica. We landed in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and stayed in Manchester in a home inn. We were there for eight days, from January 24th to January 31st. When we first landed in Jamaica, all we saw were nice and beautiful seas, along with an amazing tropical landscape. However, that was when we landed in Montego Bay, when we were traveling to Manchester, you would see many rural areas. - Upcoming 2018 Events - 4/9 4 th Quarter Begins 4/10 Easter Mass 4/12 Report Cards Mailed 4/20 Physics Trip to Six Flags 4/26 Science Fair 5/4-5/6 Senior Trip 5/7-5/18 AP Exams 5/18 Last Day of Classes for Seniors 1

2 Jamaica Service Trip con t The trip started off on a good note for me and the other students, however the conditions took some getting used to. We had no internet, and this was something we were used to always having. As time went on, we learned to adapt to our situation and passed the time playing Uno and a board game called Ludo. On our second day in Jamaica we went to the Mount Olivet Primary School. We helped out the school throughout most of our duration of the trip. We were assistant teachers in the classrooms, Mr. Samerson coached the children in track, we repainted a classroom, and provided any service the staff and teachers requested of us. After school, we traveled up to a boys orphanage where we would play games and sports with the boys like soccer, basketball and chess. The children there were great and I, in some way, was inspired by them. Despite their less than fortunate means of living, they were still full of hope and energy, and with nothing but a big bright smile on their faces. On Saturday, we got a little insight on the Jamaican agriculture. Farming is a very big part of Jamaica for both its people and its economy. Jamaicans use two types of farming systems. They use commercial farming, which is growing and selling crops as a means of income for their household. The other system of farming is subsistence farming, which is where they would grow crops to consume for food so they wouldn t have to rely on buying food. Two very special things occurred on Sunday. We were able to go to church and we met one of the Archbishops of several Parishes in Jamaica. The mass itself was also a pleasure to experience. The church's choir was great and the people there greeted all of us with great hospitality. We were also able to celebrate Mr. Samerson s birthday on that exact same Sunday. On Tuesday, we went to Yves Falls. It was an amazing experience for everyone, especially for me in particular. I got to go ziplining, and relaxed by the pool. Afterwards, we went shopping, went back to the estate we were staying at and started packing our luggage for our flight back to New York. This was a great trip that taught us a lot. It taught us to better understand and live out the Xaverian virtues, especially an appreciation for simplicity, an ability to humble ourselves and a desire to be more compassionate. We can not take advantage of things like the roofs over our heads, the food in our stomachs, and the clothes on our backs, for there are many others worldwide who are less fortunate than we are. I would highly recommend other students take advantage of a trip like this! 2

3 Seniors Head to St. Patrick s Cathedral By: Gama Droiville Nazareth started a new tradition to have all of their seniors visit a cathedral. This senior class went to St. Patrick s on February 6th and 7th. When we got there, we learned about the history of the Cathedral how it was founded and built. I learned that St. Patrick s was built for Irish immigrants who were fleeing disaster in Ireland. Since no one wanted to accept the Irish immigrants, St. Patrick s Cathedral was built to protect the Irish immigrants who were coming from Ireland. Prior to the Cathedral opening its doors, the area was actually a flea market. They got rid of it because farmers started to get out of hand and the police could not keep up with the drama. The cornerstone of St. Patrick s Cathedral was laid out in 1858 and it was open in It was 150 years old when Archbishop John Hughes announced his ambition to build the new St. Patrick s Cathedral. The Church is used for prayers and other big events. I learned that the Church has a burial place called a crypt underneath the high altar. It is the final resting place for all the archbishops who have served in New York, including Rev. John Hughes, the visionary behind St. Patrick s Cathedral. But there is one non-clergyman buried there too. His name is Pierre Toussaint. Pierre Toussaint was a Haitian Catholic slave born in I also learned about many of the saints in the Cathedral. Saints that were very helpful to those in need. People that cared for the sick, elderly, and the poor. They were followers of Christ. During the trip, I also had the opportunity of getting to know more about Catholics and their beliefs. I had the opportunity to sit in the high altar where visitors would usually sit when big events were happening. I also learned that TV s were installed to help visitors see what was happening on the altar because of the Church s size. Overall, it was a great learning experience at St. Patrick s Cathedral and it was such an honor to visit New York s largest Catholic Church. Visit the virtual tour of our school at: 3

4 Chess is the Best! By: Jean Lefleur and Brenton Wynter Jr. Throughout the ages, many sports and games have been created and played by human beings in order to spark competitiveness between one another. Some of these games are played worldwide while others are played only in their respective countries/locations. However, Chess has always will be the greatest game of all time for me. For one it involves a lot of critical thinking and trying to predict your opponent's next move. In addition to all of this, one could also make a living by playing in chess tournaments world wide. For example, Magnus Carlsen, who s the top ranked chess player in the world, has a net worth of eight million dollars just by winning chess tournaments. During freshman year, we were first introduced to chess by Mr. Samerson. Overtime, we would stay during advisory and after school with him and other students. We developed our skill and although chess had a massive learning curve to overcome, it was rewarding and fun. One of the most appealing draws to chess is the sense of competition between the two of us, the teachers, and other members of the chess club. A good memory of playing chess was the tournament that was held with Mr. Bryer, Basilio, Brenton, Kofi and other students, along with Mr. Samerson overseeing the event. Mr. Bryer and Jean ended up in the finals, with Jean defeating Mr. Bryer after a hard fought battle. Chess is not just a game but a sport to us. It challenges the mind to react and think not just one or two steps in advance but several steps ahead; all the while having to adapt to the mindset of our opponents in a timed scenario. It may be overwhelming, but learning the rules of what pieces can do and not do makes it all the better when the limitations of the chess pieces do not become weaknesses but advantages. One move on any piece changes the entire landscape and this dynamic aspect of chess makes it fun to play over and over again. Jean Lefleur and Mr. Bryer take part in the finals of the Student/Teacher Chess Tournament. 4

5 Club Spotlight: Anti-Bullying Club By: Isaiah Clarke & Winnie Pierre-Louis Nazareth Regional High School has many clubs and activities going on. There is a club called the Anti-Bullying Club which allows students to be superheroes. The club is about getting students to get together and combat against bullying. Everyone is accepted into the group. Ms. Wells is the teacher in charge and she is passionate about the club. Ms. Wells also helped the club members create a website for the club. The Anti-Bullying Club has meetings every Monday and Wednesday. Anti- Bullying is always open to new members and new ideas. Within the Anti Bullying Club, we have many discussions on how we can improve our school. For example, treating others without transgression, but equally we learn how to love others for who they are. We believe in protecting others within the school from being bullied over how they look, dress and act. We believe that everyone has the right to be and conduct themselves how they prefer, as long as its within the school rules. The Anti Bullying Club isn't just for helping others, but helping yourself. We welcome everyone to come and talk about anything you want that's bothering you, without you being judged. See Ms. Wells in room 200 for more information. NFL Season: The Recap By: Basilio Myke Congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles for winning Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots in a game we will never forget. Despite losing their MVP-caliber quarterback, Carson Wentz, The Eagles went against the odds and won the whole thing. Why? Because of Nick Foles! The NFL Season was incredible. Unfortunately, we saw numerous calamitous injuries to big time stars such Odell Beckham Jr, Aaron Rodgers, and JJ Watt. This season was filled with surprises and disappointments. Teams like the New York Giants, Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Oakland Raiders clearly did not meet expectations this season. There were only three surprising teams this year. Those three teams are the Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, and Los Angeles Rams. If you told me last season that the Jaguars were going to make it to the AFC Championship game, I would take away your football card. Blake Bortles is without a doubt one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. So if their quarterback is trash, how did they make it to the AFC Championship? Their running game and defense is absolutely spectacular. The NFL Season was truly exciting. Despite seeing numerous injuries, we saw the rise of young stars like Deshaun Watson, Kareem Hunt, and Jared Goff. This is one season that will never be forgotten. Now it s time to prepare for the NFL Draft, where we get to see where young college players like Baker Mayfield and Saquon Barkley will land. 5

6 The Excalibur Staff Writers: Isaiah Clarke Gama Droiville Jean Lefleur Basilio Myke Winnie Pierre-Louis Brenton Wynter Jr. Advisor: Mr. Bryer 6